Apparatus for purifying water.



N0 MODEL.

No'. 769,972. PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904.

R. H. WILES. APPARATUS PGR PURIFYI'NG WATER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1904.

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PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904.

l R. H. WILES. APPARATUS PoR PURIEYING WATER.

- APPLICIATION YILED MAY 27, 1904.

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w750562Z? bz MAW UNT'TED STATES Patented September 13, 1904.

PATENT EEicE.

ROBERT H. WILES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO KENNICOTT WATER SOFTENER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- rIION OF ILLINOIS. a

APPARATUS Fon PURIFYING WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,972, dated September 13, 1904.

l Application iiled May 27, 1904. Serial No. 210,053. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT HWILEs, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Purifying Water, of which the following' is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the means employed in apparatus for softening or purifying water by mixing with it one or more chemicals in solution for automatically maintaining a constant relation between the flow of unpurified water and the iiow of chemical solution to be mixed with it. Means for this purpose are shown and described in United States Patent No. 665,606, dated January 8, 1901, to Cass L. Kennicott; and other means for the same purpose are shown and described in my application, Serial No. 201,427, filed April 4, 1904. In each of the two apparatus referred to there is provided for holding the supply of the chemical solution a reservoir which discharges into the chemical-solution tank or holder and the discharge from which is automatically regulated by a iioat-valve to maintain in the tank a constant level.

The primary object of my invention is to overcome the necessity for maintaining a constant level in the solution-tank, and thus enable the reservoir and its discharge-controlling-valve mechanism to be wholly dispensed with by causing the uniformity of iiow from the solution-tank to remain unaffected notwithstanding any change in the level of the liquid in the tank, or, in other words, by preventing any change in the level within the tank from varying the head or rate of flow therefrom.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view in vertical sectional elevation, showing the chemical solution tank equipped with my improvement shown to be cooperatively connected with the supplytank of the water to be purified by the mechanism forming the subject of my aforesaid pending application for varying the head of pressure in the solution-tank in accordance with variation in the head of pressure in the raw-water-supply tank. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the iioat mechanism contained in the solution-tank. Fig. 3 is a view of the same in side elevation. Fig. 4 is a view like that presented by Fig. 1, but showing my improved iio\vregulating mechanism in the solution-tank coperatively connected with the supply-tank of the water to be purified by the mechanism forming the subject of the aforesaid patent, No. 665,606.

A is the chemical-solution tank, which discharges through a stationary pipe a into a precipitating-tank. (Not shown.) In the tank A is avertically-oscillating tube B, communieating at one end with the stationary pipe a and having its free end closed and a slot a in the wall near its closed end. The slotmay be covered to any desired extent by a sleeve a2 for the purpose of setting the working' size of the slot, which is the actual discharge-oritice for the solution in the tank. The bore of the pipe B is greater than the size of the slot, so that the distance to the latter from the surface of the solution in the tank constitutes the head of pressure of the solution. The tube B, which is pivotally coupled to the end of the discharge-pipe 0. within the tank, is supported from its free end portion by a iioat C in the tank, preferably in the mannershownnamely, by forming the float in two sections c c, rigidly connected at their ends and spaced apart by cross-bars c', with a rod d extending centrally through both sections and carrying between them a pulley d and arms e e, journaled at their lower ends on trunnions e e', extending laterally from the axis of the pipe a and tube B at their junction in the tank, these arms engaging at their upper or outer ends with the ends of the rod CZ, which project beyond thesides of the float, with which the tube is connected by a cord f or other suitable flexible medium passing about the pulley CZ and shown as passing also about a pulley Z2 on a trunnion e', although, so far as the operation of theiioat is concerned, the cord might terminate and be fastened at that point or elsewhere. As will thus be seen,

whether the level of the liquid in the tank A rises under replenishment or falls with the discharge the distance from the surface to the discharge-orifice a' remains constant, owing to the rise or fall of the tube Bwith the float C, whereby the head of pressure in the tank upon the discharge-orifice remains the sanne and uniformity of the flow from the tank remains unaffected notwithstanding any change in the level of the liquid. The tank thus equipped might obviously be used in a water-purifying apparatus independently of the head of pressure in the raw-water-supplytank member of the apparatus with any suitable means employed on that supply-tank for regulating the flow therefrom in accordance with that from the chemical-solution tank. It is preferred, however, to use the' two tanks in coperative connection and in such a way that variation in the head of pressure in the supply-tank will vary the head of pressure in the solution-tank in the manner hereinafter explained.

According to the representation in Fig. l the cord f connects the tube B from its free end with a chamber D of small diameter, suspended by means of a cord g, passing over pulleys h L and engaging one end of a chain c', the other end of which is fastened at some stationary point, such as a hook 7c. Any upward or downward movement of the chamber D correspondingly lowers or raises the free end of the chain and correspondingly varies its weight, so that the chain serves to counterbalanee the chamber. The chamber D is connected by a small flexible tube Z with the supply from a spout m of water to be treated in a tank E, whence the water Hows through a spout n, as over a water-Wheel F in a housing E', having an outlet oleading to the aforesaid precipitating-tank, and the level of water in the tank E and in the chamberD must therefore always remain the same. Any rise in the level in the tank E will produce a corresponding rise of the level in the chamber, and the increased weight of the latter will lower it, and thereby slacken the cord to permit the free end of the tube B to lower correspondingly by gravity, thus maintaining the same head of pressure in the tank B as in the tank E, all as explained in my aforesaid application. It will therefore be apparent that with a constant level in the supply-tank E any change in level within the chemicalsolution tank leaves unaffected the head of pressure in the latter, because the float C will then always maintain the same distance between the surface of liquid and the dischargeoriice a', and the flow from the tank A will remain uniform so lon'g as the contents thereof extend to a height sufficient to maintain the proper distance between their surface and the discharge-orifice a', thereby rendering unnecessary any reservoir for' the chemical solution for maintaining a constant level in or replenishment of the solution-tank A. will be equally apparent that the described connection between the tube B and the tank E maintains uniformity of ratio between the flow from the discharge-pipe a and that from the spout n because of the automatic maintenance of the same head of pressure in the chemical-solution tank and the raw-watersupply tank.

The particularyconstruction shown and described of the float C and its connections is advantageous because of the convenience afforded by its divided form in applying to it the cordf and of the effect of the swinging arms e in holding it in position against movement about on the surface of the liquid, with the undesirable effect of varying the position of the point d from which the cord f depends.

The means illustrated in Fig. 4 for varying the head of pressure in the solution-tank with any variation thereof in the supply-tank E comprise a vertically-guided oatp in the lastnarned tank, connected by the cord f, passing over pulleys i' L, with the-free end of the tube B, and passing to it about the pulleys Z2 and d. It will be apparent that the action of this mechanism is the same as that of the chamber D and its connections in maintaining correspondence between the head of pressure within the supply-tank and that in the solution-tank.

It is not necessary to my invention that the discharge from the solution-tank shall be provided in the form of the tube B and pipe a, inasmuch as the iioat is applicable for its purpose in connection with other forms of vertically-adjustable discharge-pipe in the tank A.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is#

1. Ina water-purifying apparatus, the combination with the chemical-solution tank liaving a discharge-outlet and containing a tube flexibly coupled at one end with said outlet to swing vertically toward its opposite end and provided with a discharge-orifice in its free end portion, of a two-part float carrying a pulley between the sections, and a Cord, or the like, connected to said tube toward its free end and near its coupled end and passing over said pulley, substantially as described.

2. In awater-purifying apparatus, the combination with the chemical-solution tank having a discharge-outlet and containing a tube flexibly coupled at one end to said outlet to swing vertically toward its opposite end and provided with a discharge-orifice in its free end portion, of a float carrying apulley, arms pivotally connecting said float with said tube and outlet at the axis of their junction, and a cord, or the like, connected to said tube toward its free end and near its coupled end and passing over said pulley, substantially as described.

3. In a water-purifying apparatus, the com- IOO TIO

bination with the chemical-solution tank havi ing a stationary discharge-pipe containing a tube flexibly coupled at one end to said pipe to swing vertically toward its opposite end and provided with a discharge-orifice in its free end portion, of trunnions extending from said pipe and tube at the axis of their coupling, a iioat carrying a pulley, arms connecting said ioat with said trunnions, and a, cord, or the like, connected at its opposite ends respectively with said tube, toward its Jfree end, and with one of said trunnions and passing over said pulley, substantially as described.

4. In a water-purifying apparatus, the combination with the chemical-solution tank having a vertically-adjustable discharge-pipe, of a float in said tank supporting the intake end of said pipe, a supply-tank for the water to be treated having an outlet, and means for varying the distance between the iloat and the intake end of said pipe in accordance with change of level of the water in said supplytank, substantially as described.

5. In awater-.purifying apparatus, the combination of a chemical-solution tank having a discharge-outlet and provided with a vertically-swinging tube communicating with said outlet and containing a discharge-orifice inits free end portion, a iioat in said tank from which said tube is suspended toward its free end, a supply-tank for the water to be treated having an outlet, and means for vvarying the distance between the float and said orifice in the tube in accordance with change of level of the water in said supply-tank, substantially as described.

6. In a water-purifying apparatus, the combination with the supply-tank for the water to be treated, having an outlet and a chemicalsolution tank having a discharge-outlet and provided with a vertically-swinging tube communicating with said discharge-outlet and containing a discharge-oriiice in its free end portion, of a iioat in said tank, and means for varying the head of pressure in said solutiontank, relative to said oriiice, with variation of the head of pressure in said supply-tank,

comprising a body supported to rise and fall with change of head in said supply-tank and having a cord, or analogous connection with the free end portion of said tube over said float, substantially as described.

7. In a water-purifying apparatus, the combination with a supply-tank for the water to be treated, having an outlet, and a chemicalsolution tank having a discharge-outlet and provided with avertically-swinging tube communicating with said discharge-outlet and containing a discharge-orifice in its free end portion, of a float in said solution-tank, a cord, or the like, secured, at one end, to said portion of the tube, passing thenceover the i'loat about a bearing at the axis of the tube, and a body supported to rise and fall with change of head in said supply-tank and with which the opposite end of said cord is connected, substantially as described.

8. In a water-purifying apparatus, the com- .bination with a supply-tank for the water to be treated, having an outlet, and a chemicalsolution tank having a discharge-pipe with a tube coupled thereto to swing vertically and containing a discharge-orifice in its free end portion, of a ioat in said solution-tank, armsjournaled at the coupling-axis of said tube and connected with said float, a cord, or the like, secured at one end to said portion of the tube, passing' thence over the float and about said axis, and a body supported to rise and fall with change of head in said supply-tank and with which the opposite end of said cord is connected, substantially as described.

9. In awater-purifying apparatus, the combination with a supply-tank for the water to be treated, having an outlet, and a chemicalsolution tank having a discharge-pipe with a tube coupled thereto to swing vertically and containing'a discharge-orifice in its free end portion, of a two-part float in said solutiontank carrying a pulley between the parts, arms journaled at the coupling-axis of said tube and connected with said float, a cord, or the like, secured at one end to said portion of the tube, passing thence over said pulley and about said axis, and a body supported to rise and fall with change of head in said supplytank and with which the opposite end of said cord is connected, substantially as described.

WALTER N. WINBERG, ALMA U. THORIEN. 

